LONDON - Layover
 

Hello-
I am going to be coming from Athens in late September on a Sunday, arriving at 10am at London Heathrow and my flight out of Heathrow is not until 6pm that night. It is my first time ever in London so I was wondering if anyone thought I would have enough time to see any of the city.
Any suggestions? Such as taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington...and from there I am not sure what to do or what one would do given the time restraint. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Heathrow Express is the fastest way into London, and Paddington is relatively central. However, what would you like to see - I'd recommend taking lunch in Mayfair, and a stroll up Bond St. then back to the airport at around 4pm.

I think if you've never been to London before you'd want to see something, not spend the day walking around a typical big city shopping area and sitting in a restaurant. I suggest you get a hop-on, hop-off open top bus and let them at least show you the famous sights of London. I'm more familiar with the ones that go from Victoria, but maybe one goes from Paddington?

However, you have to look at the time frame. Assume that you won't leave the airport until 11am, suppose you are in London from half-past. You want to be back at the airport by 4pm, so you will have to leave the station by half three, you'll have to be there by three - that leave three and a half hours free.

A big bus tour is a twenty-four hour pass, and I can't really see how you'll get any enjoyment from sitting on a bus for a few hours, seeing all the tempting places, and not being able to get off of it.

Having lunch in Mayfair will give you a flavour and feel for London, and hopefully entice you to experience a longer stay in the future.

It's touristy, but I'd go to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. These are things that are classically London and can't be done anywhere else.

In addition, there are a few decent pubs in that area where you can stop and have a quick pint and some bangers and mash.

I had a similar layover a couple of years ago. Got in about 8am from Newark and had to leave again at 8pm to fly to Nairobi. We took the train to Kew Gardens. The weather was great, we stayed out in the sunshine (great to adjust to back to back red-eyes) and then walked to Richmond for a quick bite. We had been in London before, so this might not be the best choice for you.

Have fun!

With about 4 hhours in the city, I'd say:
1. London Eye, for that nice view of London.
2. Walk over to Westminster Abbey (visit) past the parliament. Walk over to Trafalgar square past all the government departments. Some nice pubs along the way too.
3. If there is still any time, visit the gallery thats in Trafalgar square itself. But, I'm guessing you wont have the time and will just be better of people watching for a while.

Good luck and have fun!

While the bus tour is indeed a 24 hour pass, the vast majority of people don't get off. I'd also suggest that is the best thing to do -- about a 2 to 3 hour loop with narration. You will see Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Parliament, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, The Big Eye, and a number of other major attractions. I think it is the ideal way to spend those limited few hours.
What will it accomplish? Make you want to hurry back to London at your earliest opportunity to spend more time.

<i>&quot;Having lunch in Mayfair will give you a flavour and feel for London, and hopefully entice you to experience a longer stay in the future.&quot;</i>

And driving past all London's historic treasures wouldn't? My vote goes to the quickie sightseeing tour.

Check out: <b>www.bigbus.co.uk</b>

As long as we're voting, I'm casting my vote in favor of walking around a neighborhood in London, having lunch, and maybe visiting a museum. I don't really feel like I've been to a place that I've only seen from a bus. And I wouldn't want to spend all my time on a bus anyway, especially sandwiched between two plane rides and a round trip on the Heathrow express.

I like the idea of the London Eye and Westminster, with the possibility of going into Westminster Abbey or the Cabinet War Rooms and walking to Buckingham Palace through the park.
But any neighborhood in London would be interesting to explore to get a feel for the place and the people.